


Ye Of Little Faith.

by TayBartlett9000



Category: All Creatures Great and Small (TV), All Creatures Great and Small - James Herriot
Genre: Brothers, Exams, Family, Gen, Humour, Humourous, University, Vet, Yorkshire, short fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2021-02-13 06:08:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21489604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TayBartlett9000/pseuds/TayBartlett9000
Summary: Tristan finally passes his exams. That is great news, right?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Ye Of Little Faith.

Tristan looked down at the envelope in his hands, wondering whether or not he did indeed want to know what was inside. The address written on the front of this envelope was an address that he knew well. He had received this letter countless times, or at least he had often received something very like it. He clutched the letter in one hand, a feeling of gloomy certainty sweeping over him. Tristan had failed his exams plenty of times, enough for him to conclude that these results too were likely to be failures. Siegfried would not be happy. He would not be happy at all.

Tristan thought that he could imagine precisely what his older brother would say once he read those results. ‘I have spent so much money sending you to Veterinary college,’ he would say as he had done time and time again, ‘and yet again you tell me that you fail pathology. I do not know why I bother, Tristan. I truly do not. I’m wasting my time. You have no idea what hard work means, do you? You are far too busy drinking and chasing women to think very much about your future.’ More words were sure to follow and Tristan didn’t want to hear them.

James would be more understanding. Tristan was sure. James was always more understanding than Siegfried. Tristan knew that James would encourage rather than criticise. Even so, Tristan Farnon didn’t think that he could bear yet another failure.

But he had to find out. The envelope was still sealed and he knew that he wouldn’t ever know his results if he chose not to open it. It was time to bite the proverbial bullet. He tore the envelope open, pulling out the sheet of paper that had been inside, as nervous as he had been the first time he had received a letter like this.

He looked down at the sheet of paper and read through it carefully.

Aha. Tristan looked up with a gleeful smile. He had done it. He certainly hadn’t been expecting that. Tristan found the studying side of university life extremely hard at the best of times, and he was even worse at performing well at exams. Apparently now though, he had actually managed to achieve a passing grade. Looking down at the sheet of paper again, Tristan noted that his grade was not particularly great, merely a b. Siegfried had of course achieved top marks in his university examinations. Siegfried had often told Tristan that his success was due only to hard work and extreme dillogence, something he had often assured Tristan that his little brother would never be able to do.

Tristan smiled. He had always tried his damndest to reassure his older brother that he could indeed work hard and now it looked as if he would have his exam results to prove it. Tristan would show Siegfried just how much work he put in. He could become a qualified vet.

He turned towards his bedroom door, an idea forming in Tristan’s mind. He would have a little bit of fun with Siegfried. His cantankerous older brother was always eager to show Tristan how much more intelligent Siegfried was than himself. Tristan was going to make sure that Siegfried felt really guilty for his bullying and his constant put downs once he told him that he now had the same qualifications as his brother.

James and Siegfried were eating breakfast when Tristan arrived in the kitchen. Siegfried glanced up at him as Tristan took a seat at the table opposite him. Tristan merely smiled at Siegfried, trying hard not to smile too widely.

“You seem in very fine spirits this morning, little brother,” Siegfried said mildly, as usual addressing Tristan in the patronising manner that he dispised.

Tristan nodded. “I got my results today,” he said calmly. He looked directly at Siegfried as he said this, knowing full well that his cocky smile would infuriate him. Tristan was seriously going to wind his brother up before he hit him full in the face with the truth. Then Siegfried would be sorry for mocking him. Show off.

Siegfried took the bate instantly. The man was so easy to wind up. Tristan’s smile grew even wider. “I don’t know what you’re looking so happy for,” his brother said curtly, “what makes you so confident that you’ll have passed them?”

Tristan grinned. “Well, I failed plenty of times. I’m bound to pass sooner or later.”

Siegfried shook his head. “I doubt it.”

“Don’t be so hard on him, Siegfried,” James told the elder Farnon brother in his usual measured way. Good old James. “He may have done very well.”

Again, Siegfried Farnon shook his head. “Did you see him do any studying in the lead-up to the actual exams, James?” he asked, his tone slowly transforming from one of polight incredulity into one of rising irritation, “because I didn’t. Not once did I see him open a book. Tristan never studies. I don’t know why I waste so much of my hard earned money on keeping this boy in college. I really don’t.”

Siegfried was playing right into Tristan’s hands. It was all too easy. Tristan was still smiling and he knew that this unshakeable cheerfulness would agrivate his older brother further. He deserved it, thought Tristan. He had worked hard in the surgery to become an adequate vet in Siegfried’s eyes and his brother had thus far appreciated nothing of what Tristan had achieved. Tristan was looking forward to the disproving of all of Siegfried’s theories about his competence as a qualified vet. 

“To be honest,” Siegfried was saying now, “I do not know for sure whether you will ever become that qualified vet you want to be, little brother. You really do need to work harder.”

James again broke into the decidedly one sided conversation. He was looking at Tristan with a smile. “Perhaps we should wait and hear what his results are,” he said patiently. He glanced from Siegfried to Tristan who was still holding the piece of paper in his hand. “Tell us Triss. How did you do.” 

Now was the time. Tristan had always had a flair for the melodramatics. He stood in silence for a moment, prolonging the tense and expectant silence for as long as he could. James Heriot was looking quietly confident. Siegfried was looking as if he knew this conversation to be a complete waste of time. Tristan unfolded the piece of paper with deliberate slowness and said in as grand a voice as he could, “all B’S.”

The silence that followed Tristan Farnon’s pronouncement was deeper and dencer than any silence he could have tried to create. James was grinning and as he shifted his eyes towards his brother’s face, Tristan could see that Siegfried was in utter disbelief.

“What did you say?” Siegfried asked.

“All B’s. That’s what it says here.” Tristan stepped forward and handed the sheet of paper to his older brother. He watched carefully as Siegfried scrutinised the words written there and as he looked up, Tristan caught his smile.

“Well done, Tristan,” Siegfried said with a shout of laughter, rising from his chair and rushing forward to give his little brother a hearty slap on the shoulder. “I never doubted you for a moment. I knew you’d get there eventually. I just knew it.”

‘No you did not,’ Tristan told his brother inside his head, ‘you didn’t believe I’d pass at all.’ But he was smiling just the same. Siegfried’s entire personality seemed to have completely changed in a single second. He had changed from the disapproving and disbelieveing older brother into a brother full of pride.

James was standing also and as he took Tristan’s hand and shook it with smiling sincerity, Tristan said, “so I am finally a qualified vet. How good is that?”

Siegfried nodded. “It is certainly a great achievement, little brother. I shall have to make sure that our newest Veterinary surgeon has plenty to do now that he has the qualifications.”

Tristan’s smile wavered as he took in what his brother had just said. “You don’t have to deprive yourself of too many tasks, Siegfried.”

His brother shook his head. “Oh, such modesty. Don’t put yourself down Tristan. You are qualified to do the jobs that need doing around here now that you’ve passed your exams. I can think of so many tasks that I could delegate to you. I mean there are the horses that often need looking at. There are cows that often need help calving. And of course there are numerous dogs and cats that need the help of a fully qualified Veterinary surgeon. You could contribute so much to the running of this surgery Tristan. I wouldn’t want to take that opportunity away from you. Just think about the many lives you will be helping.”

Tristan was thinking about it. Siegfried was serious. Deadly serious. He had put his foot in it. “I…” he began, unsure now of what to say. His efforts to convince Siegfried that he was in fact a competent vet had gone curiously wrong. “I don’t think we should change things too quickly. I’d like to start small, you know?”

Nodding with grave understanding, Siegfried turned to James. “I’m thinking that perhaps Tristan has a point,” he said kindly, “we do want him to start small. You shouldn’t really rush into things. Mistakes are made that way.” He turned back to Tristan. “Perhaps then you could go to Rafe Beemish’s farm instead of me tomorrow. How would you like that?”

“Rafe Beemish’s farm?” echoed Tristan.

“Yes Tristan. I know that you are able to do it and you do need to do more work with Yorkshire’s horses. The visit is at…” He pretended to think about it. “Eight o’clock tomorrow morning. That means you will have to get up quite early. Six o’clock at the earliest.”

Tristan was dismayed. “But I was going to go out and celebrate with a few friends tonight,” he protested. “I thought that I could at least go out for a while.”

Siegfried nodded. “So you can. You’ll just have to come back in at a reasonable time, that’s all. And you’ll have to stay relatively sobar. One cannot help horses when one has a hang over can they?”

Tristan shook his head. He was beaten. Again. He had managed to prove to Siegfried that he could knuckle down and get work done. He had managed to prove to his brother that he could work hard and do well. Now however it appeared that Siegfried had once again got the better of him. Tristan now had the prospect of much harder and longer working hours before him and he didn’t think that he could refuse.

“So what do you think?” Siegfried asked brightly, “are you ready for some real work?”

After a long pause, Tristan nodded with the upmost reluctance. “I suppose so,” he agreed. What else could he say?

Siegfried was smiling at him. “Good for you little brother. I knew I could count on you. I have high expectations of you, Tristan. I just know that you can do it.”

Tristan scowled.

Siegfried had said all that he had wanted to say. “Well, come on then gentlemen, we have a surgery bursting at the semes. Let’s get out there and do some work. You go first, Tristan. I think that you should take over the first surgery. This is going to be a very important day for you.


End file.
